“I want everyone to know how my son lived, because they know how he died,” says Lezley McSpadden, who has written the book Tell The Truth & Shame the Devil; The Life, Legacy and Love of My Son Michael Brown to tell her son’s story.
Lezley’s 18-year-old son, Michael Brown, was shot six times and killed by a police officer on August 9, 2014, in Ferguson, MO. According to reports, Officer Darren Wilson said Brown grabbed him and hit him during a struggle at Wilson’s police car. Brown was unarmed, and his death sparked riots in the streets of Ferguson and protests around the country with demands that the U.S. Department of Justice step in.
Now, Lezley is breaking her two-year silence and speaking out about who her son really was.
“You say, ‘Mike wasn’t a criminal who deserved to be shot like a dangerous animal. He was a good boy who cared about the right things, and family and friends were at the top of his list. He didn’t have a police record. He never got in trouble,” Dr. Phil says to Lezley. “So this was a surprise to you that he had this confrontation with police on this day? This was out of character for him?”
“Yes, very,” she says.
On November 24, 2014, a grand jury decided not to indict Officer Darren Wilson in the shooting death. That decision sparked days of riots in the streets of Ferguson and across the entire country.
“Were you surprised at the reaction of the community and the entire country at what took place?” Dr. Phil asks Lezley in the video above. “What was your reaction when you saw the outpouring and the response to your son’s death?”
“When I first saw it, I couldn’t wrap my mind around it because I was in such disbelief,” she says. “And, conversations became how often this happens. And that, to me, told me why I saw this big impact.”
“Has anyone ever apologized to you?” Dr. Phil asks.
“No,” she says. “Apologizing to me would be to charge a murderer with the murder. Making sure he’s convicted and prosecuted. That’s the only way you can apologize to me for what happened to my son.”
This episode of Dr. Phil airs Tuesday. Check here to see where you can watch.
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